POLICING BLITZ TO RETURN: MAYOR

MIAMI, Fla. -- More Toronto cops will be out looking for drug dealers,
thugs and prostitutes for at least six months next year, if Mayor Mel
Lastman has his way.

Lastman praised last summer's Community Action Policing (CAP) program
during a speech yesterday to about 125 delegates attending the Mayors'
Summit of the Americas conference in Miami.

The city instituted the program for 11 weeks during the summer at a cost of
$1.9 million. Police were paid overtime -- $40 an hour -- so a squad of 175
uniformed officers could target areas plagued by street crime.

"I would like to see it start in April or May and go right through to
October or November -- or maybe even to Christmas. I would like to see it
go at least six months," Lastman said after his speech at Miami's Hyatt
Regency Hotel.

Mayors from cities in Latin America, the Caribbean, the U.S. and Canada are
attending the conference.

Lastman estimated an expanded CAP program will cost from $4 million to $6
million.

When asked where the money will come from, he responded: "I found the $1.9
million and I'll find that."

According to police, the number of serious crimes reported during CAP's
program dropped by 13.8%, compared to the same time period last year.